Fantastic Sams and Aunt Olga

Before I’d even sat down, my stylist asked me for my number. I was taken aback, not because she wasn’t my type or anything – a motherly Russian lady with hairy arms – butin my 30 plus years of having my hair cut, I’d never been asked to give my number.

Not that I never wanted them to ask for my number. Especially Janet, who worked at Freddy & Liana’s in Westwood. She was a ringer for Winona Ryder, making me a repeat customer. It didn’t hurt that she continued to give me the college student discount after I finally fessed up that I wasn’t a UCLA student. (I’m kind of a cheap bastard, and while I never said I was a student, I’d mention that I’d walked over “from campus,” where I’d do story research at the library and visit the student union arcade). I digress…

Truth be told, Aunt Olga at Fantastic Sams wasn’t asking for my phone number, she wanted to know which clipper she should use. I was still offended – has a cheap haircut come down to something as personal as this? What happened to, “how would you like your hair cut?”

It turned out I was a “3,” which Olga reminded me as I took a last look at the finished product. All that and only $15. I was in the chair for less than five minutes. I was tempted to tip her $2, and tell her that was her number, but I gave her $5 to make my total bill an even $20.

Since I’m at a loss for a better closing sentence, any suggestions for cheap haircuts with hot stylists around Los Angeles?

Great slice o’ life post. I don’t know where the haircutting hotties might be. I trust my trims to old-school Louie, third chair (weekends mainly) at Tony’s Barbershop in the shopping center at Glendale and Fletcher in the Lake of Silver.

No hotties… and I don’t even know the name of the place. But cruise by the corner of Sunset and Normandie for a $10 cut that will treat you just as well as your other places. At least, that’s how I roll….

I’ll occasionally go to the Vidal Sassoon academy in Santa Monica. Lots of cuties to cut your hair, but you don’t get a choice of who cuts your hair, so sometimes it’s a skinny gay man, not that there’s anything wrong with that either.

Sometimes they do a shit job, sometimes they do a great job, it’s a bit of a crapshoot, but it’s $11 if you tell them you’re a student (no ID needed)

Maria at the supercuts in West Hills, ain’t bad either. She actually does razor cuts for under $20, a rarity in this town.